Water delivery arrangement for automatic ice maker

ABSTRACT

A water delivery arrangement for directing water into the pockets of an automatic ice maker including a water delivery tube having a lower outlet end and with straightening vane in said tube, and a transverse water directing baffle at the end of the vane to ensure that water spiral tendencies are broken up and the water is smoothly delivered to the ice pocket.

United States Patent 2,695,069 11/1954 Boerner 239/5905 X 2,864,40612/1958 Schewei 239/5905 X 3,040,542 6/1962 Linstromberg 62/343 X3,342,193 9/1967 Deering et al. 239/590 X FOREIGN PATENTS PrimaryExaminer-M. Henson Wood, Jr. Assistant Examiner-Michael Y. MarAttorneys-F. H. Henson and E. C. Arenz ABSTRACT: A water deliveryarrangement for directing water into the pockets of an automatic icemaker including a water delivery tube having a lower outlet end and withstraightening vane in said tube, and a transverse water directing baffleat the end of the vane to ensure that water spiral tendencies are brokenup and the water is smoothly delivered to the ice pocket.

minnow m2 3.632.049

WITNESSES INVENTOR Thomas B. Winters ATTORNEY WATER DELIVERY ARRANGEMENTFOR AUTOMATIC ICE MAKER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of theInvention The invention pertains to the art of delivering water toautomatic ice maker pockets.

2. Description of the Prior Art I am unaware of any prior art which isparticularly pertinent to my invention. The only patent in the automaticice maker field which discloses anything even remotely similar to myarrangement is U.S. Pat. No. 3,040,542 in which a tube carrying water toa chute for delivery of the water to the automatic ice maker shows astub flange in the lower interior of the tube.

One automatic ice cube maker having a commercial version in which anarrangement according to the invention may well be used is thatdisclosed in Fisher U.S. Pat. application, Ser. No. 719,156, now U.S.Pat. No. 3,488,977. In an ice maker according to that patentapplication, water is delivered to individual pockets which aresuccessively moved into a waterreceiving position below a water filltube outlet after each cube pocket has been dumped of its ice load.Accordingly, the volume of water delivered to each pocket is relativelysmall but it is dispatched with some force and as a slug of water. Adisposition of the delivery tube for such an ice maker is inclined to adegree from the vertical, but is more closely approaching a verticaldisposition than a horizontal disposition. Since the flow through thetube is under the force of gravity, the tendency to swirl exists. To theextent that the fitting arrangement at the inlet end of the tube is suchthat water comes to the tube from the side, the natural tendency of thewater to spiral clockwise is enhanced. As a result, the water leavingthe outlet end of the tube tends to fly off to the side at differentplaces around the perimeter of the outlet end of the tube. Since it isimportant in an automatic ice maker of the type according to the patentapplication that frost and ice buildup in the mechanism and variousmoving parts be precluded, the scattering of water from the perimeter ofthe outlet creates a substantial nuisance problem.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with my invention, the deliveryof water to other than the pocket where it is intended to go isprevented. This is accomplished in accordance with the invention byproviding an insert in the delivery tube which comprises waterstraightening means in the form of a vane lying in a vertical planeparallel to the axis of the tube and with opposite edges abutting theopposite upper and lower interior faces of the tube, and flow directingmeans in the form of a transverse member carried on a sloped outboardedge of the vane.

DRAWING DESCRIPTION FIG. 1 is a partly broken side view of anarrangement according to the invention; and,

FIG. 2 is a sectional view corresponding to one taken along the linelllI of FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The water delivery arrangementaccording to the invention is carried by the top wall forming part ofthe liner for a freezer compartment space generally designated 12. Theautomatic ice maker is also located in the freezer compartment space 12and may be of the character disclosed in the noted Fisher patentapplication in which a series of ice cube mold pockets 14 (one shown)are arranged in a circle and are slowly moved in that circle by meansnot shown. After each pocket 14 receives a load of water from thedelivery tube 16, the pocket slowly moves for a sufficient period tofreeze the water before the pocket is racked and then dumped of its loadof ice and then restored to the position shown to receive another loadof water.

The delivery tube fitting as a whole includes an upper shoulder portion18 which has interior threads adapting it to be turned on to one end ofanipple 20, the other end of which extends above the liner wall 10 and isreceived by an elbow 22 connected to a water supply pipe 24 which leadsto a slug valve arrangement (not shown) such as that disclosed in U.S.Pat. application, Ser. No. 719,036 now U.S. Pat. No. 3,491,920.

The lower portion of the delivery tube I6 is generally cylindrical inshape but includes an axially extending channel 26 along the side of thetube which will be characterized as the top side. The lower end of thetube serves as the outlet 28 for the water delivered to the tube.

As is shown, the tube 16 is disposed in a more upright position than ina horizontal position so that water delivered to the tube will flow bygravity relatively rapidly out of the tube.

The invention is particularly concerned with an insert assembly for thedelivery tube 16 which is inserted into the tube from the outlet end 28.This insert assembly comprises means for straightening the flow, andmeans for directing the flow out of a particular part of the outlet end28 of the tube. The straightening means comprises a vane generallydesignated 30 in said tube and lying in a vertical plane parallel to theaxis of the tube and with the upper edge 32 of the vane seated in thechannel 26 of the tube and the opposite edge 34 abutting the lower sideof the tube.

The nose end 36 of the vane projects up into the shoulder portion 18 ofthe delivery tube fitting to exert a straightening influence on waterentering the fitting as far upstream as is reasonably practical. Thedownstream edge of the vane 30 is sloped as shown, the sloped edge 38providing a seat for the transversely extending flow directing means 40which, as viewed in plan, has an outline of semielipse form so that inits sloped disposition in the cylindrical tube 16 it conforms to theinterior walls of the tube [6. The semielipse form of the member 40provides the opening adjacent the lower side of the delivery tubethrough which water exits into the pocket 14.

It has been found with an arrangement according to the invention thatthe water delivered in slugs to the delivery tube 16 flows smoothly outof the outlet end 28 of the tube into the ice pockets 14. The problem ofspiralling of the water or swirling of the water, and the concomitantscattering of the water from the peripheral outlet edge is avoided.

While not shown, the delivery tube fitting will ordinarily include meansfor mounting a small heater element adjacent the delivery tube, thisheater element being energized to prevent freezing of any of the waterin the tube.

I claim:

1. A water delivery conduit arrangement for directing water into thepockets of an automatic ice maker, comprising:

a tube disposed with its axis lying closer to a vertical orientationthan to a horizontal orientation, and having a lower end outlet;

a vane in said tube lying in a vertical plane parallel to the axis ofsaid tube and with opposite edges abutting the opposite upper and lowerinterior faces of said tube, said vane including a sloped downstreamedge; and

flow directing means adjacent said tube outlet for directing watertoward the lower side of said tube, said flow directing means beingcarried on said sloped edge to extend generally transversely across atleast the upper side portion of the interior of said tube.

2. An arrangement according to claim I wherein:

said vane and said flow directing means are separable from said tube.

3. A water delivery conduit arrangement for directing water into thepockets of an automatic ice maker, comprising:

a tube disposed with its axis lying closer to a vertical orientationthan to a horizontal orientation, and having a lower end outlet;

a vane in said tube lying in a vertical plane parallel to the axis ofsaid tube and with opposite edges abutting the opposite upper and lowerinterior faces of said tube;

said tube including channel means extending axially along its upper edgeto provide an interior recess to accommodate the upper side edge of saidvane; and

flow directing means adjacent said tube outlet for directing watertoward the iower side of said tube. 5

1. A water delivery conduit arrangement for directing water into thepockets of an automatic ice maker, comprising: a tube disposed with itsaxis lying closer to a vertical orientation than to a horizontalorientation, and having a lower end outlet; a vane in said tube lying ina vertical plane parallel to the axis of said tube and with oppositeedges abutting the opposite upper and lower interior faces of said tube,said vane including a sloped downstream edge; and flow directinG meansadjacent said tube outlet for directing water toward the lower side ofsaid tube, said flow directing means being carried on said sloped edgeto extend generally transversely across at least the upper side portionof the interior of said tube.
 2. An arrangement according to claim 1wherein: said vane and said flow directing means are separable from saidtube.
 3. A water delivery conduit arrangement for directing water intothe pockets of an automatic ice maker, comprising: a tube disposed withits axis lying closer to a vertical orientation than to a horizontalorientation, and having a lower end outlet; a vane in said tube lying ina vertical plane parallel to the axis of said tube and with oppositeedges abutting the opposite upper and lower interior faces of said tube;said tube including channel means extending axially along its upper edgeto provide an interior recess to accommodate the upper side edge of saidvane; and flow directing means adjacent said tube outlet for directingwater toward the lower side of said tube.